It’s always fun to look back at the work an actor or comedian did before they made it big. From guest star roles on Law and Order to stories of SNL auditions, it’s always wild to hear about the time their breakthrough gig came around. For Jennifer Garner and Stephen Colbert, one of those jobs was Spin City, which led to the actress babysitting for the talk show host. Now, they’ve reflected on all of that, and the 13 Going on 30 star’s reaction to The Late Show host's kid being 30 now was perfect.
Jennifer Garner Babysat Stephen Colbert’s Daughter After They Guest Starred On Spin City
The year is 1996, the show is Spin City, one of Michael J. Fox’s best projects and one of the best sitcoms ever. For Season 1, Episode 10, both Stephen Colbert and Jennifer Garner were hired to guest star. Colbert played Frank, and Garner played Becky. Talking about all this on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, the Alias star said:
We were both guest stars on Spin City in the same episode, and we were like the scrubby guest stars.
While both of them thought the other had recurring roles, they only appeared in the one episode. So, since they didn’t have huge parts on the show, they had time to get to know each other. That led to Colbert offering Garner a job, as she explained:
Yeah, and we didn’t have that much to do, so we hung out together. And he was like, ‘What are you doing here from West Virginia?’ And I was like ‘What are you doing here from South Carolina?’ So, anyway, they were kind enough to ask my roommate and me to babysit for their gorgeous little one.
At the time, Garner hadn’t broken big in Hollywood yet. She had a few credits to her name, including Law and Order and Dead Man’s Walk. However, she was still a few years away from landing the lead role in Alias.
Meanwhile, Colbert’s part came along a year before he joined The Daily Show and not long after he had appeared in eight episodes of The Dana Carvey Show. He was also writing here and there for Saturday Night Live. Along with all that, he and his wife, Evelyn, had welcomed their daughter Madeline. Noting that he hired Garner to watch his oldest daughter, the talk show host said:
Because you said you needed a job babysitting. And I said, ‘Well, I have a baby.’
Well, that baby isn’t a baby anymore, and when Colbert told that to Garner, she had a very funny and fitting reaction.
Jennifer Garner Had An Iconic Response To Learning That Stephen Colbert’s Daughter Is 30
As Colbert and Garner reminisced about this point in their early careers where their paths crossed, they had the realization that this all happened three decades ago. That also led to the host telling the actress that the kid she watched all those years ago is 30 now. Here's how that back-and-forth went:
- Stephen Colbert: Actually, that baby you were feeding is 30 now.
- Jennifer Garner: What?
- Stephen Colbert: Yeah, she’s 30.
- Jennifer Garner: That is so rude! Is she flirty and thriving?
- Stephen Colbert: [Was it rude] for me to mention it was 30 years ago or for her to have grown up?
- Jennifer Garner: No! For her to be 30!
- Stephen Colbert: I know, I’ll tell her you said so.
- Jennifer Garner: Is she flirty and thriving?
- Stephen Colbert: She is!
- Jennifer Garner: Ok!
Of course, Jennifer Garner would bring up one of the best rom-coms here. I mean, how could she not mention 13 Going on 30? I also love the range of emotions she showed as she reacted to Colbert’s daughter being 30. You can see her rollercoaster of a realization below:
It is wild to think about how much time has passed, especially when kids and careers are involved. While Colbert’s daughter is all grown up now, her dad and babysitter evolved into massive stars who have incredibly successful careers that are going strong today.
So, with that being said, you can catch The Late Show with Stephen Colbert until it ends on the 2026 TV schedule in May on CBS at 11:30 p.m. ET. You can stream Garner’s latest project, The Last Thing He Told Me, with an Apple TV subscription. Meanwhile, I hope Stephen Colbert's daughter is “30, flirty and thriving.”
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